More than 120,000 children in Ealing, Hounslow, Hillingdon and Harrow have not seen an NHS dentist in the last year, according to newly released figures.

The British Dental Association (BDA) said the rate of check ups for children is a "national disgrace" and put it down to a lack of information to engage hard-to-reach families.

NHS data shows that 41% of children in Ealing, 52% of children in Hillingdon , 39% of children in Hounslow and 51% of children in Harrow have not had a dental check-up in the 12 months to September 2018.

It means 33,331 children in Ealing, 37,695 children in Hillingdon, 24,865 children in Hounslow and 29,419 children in Harrow have not been for a check-up over the period, despite NHS guidelines saying they should be seen at least once a year.

Over the 12 months to June, 3,345 children in Ealing , 3,155 children in Hounslow, 1,921 children in Harrow and 1,992 children in Hillingdon received some kind of urgent dental treatment.

According to dentists, these are mainly tooth extractions or fillings.

Among adults, 138,900 people in Ealing, 104,400 people in Hounslow , 86,500 people in Hillingdon and 77,900 people in Harrow saw an NHS dentist in the 24 months prior to October 2018.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We want every single child and adult to have access to NHS care, whatever their background or location – and last year a record 6.9 million children were seen by a dentist with numbers rising every year.”